Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-11
THE FISHING GROUNDS.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY
OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST.
The Dangers, Profits and Losses Of the
Hazardous Business-How the Boats
Go Out and Set Their Lines-A Trips
Catches.

Hazardous Business-How the Boats
Catches.
During his leisure hours your CORE
spondent has several times visited the I, or
fish wharf. in this city. and been much in
terested in viewing its curious scenes and
gathering some items concerning the fishery
business. Over a score of firms engaged in
the trade are located on this long wharf,
and in the docks on either side may be seen
almost any day twice as many fishing
schooners, their numerous masts reminding
you of a deadened pine forest. Perhaps
500 fishermen and dealers may be seen on
the wharf and vessels, and the scene IS O
busy, curious and entertaining enc.
From some of the vessels the finny cap
tives are being taken. large basketfuls being
elevated from the hold to the wharf by block
and tackle They are dumped into boxes,
placed on portable scales, weighed, and
then pitched into the cart or wagons of
the purchaser and drawn away 10 his store,
there to be washed and fitted for the retail
market, shipped to inland towns, or sailed
down, as the case may be- In handling
the fish ordinary hay forks with three tines
are employed, and they are forEed into the
baskets, and then from the boxes into the
carts. They are too slimv to be handled
conveniently in any other way.
TIE FISHING sCHooNERs.
The scho0ners are of various sizes, the
smaller ones going only to what is known
as the in-shore fishing grounds near the
coast The larger ones, which 20 70 the Off
shore fisheries, are generally from eighty
to ninety tons burden. and carry heavy
stone ballast, well secured in the bottom 50
that it cannot shift during severe storms.
Each vessel carries eight small boats called
dories, and the crew consists of the skip
per, cook and sixteen fishermen.
The vessels hail from Portland, Ports
mouth. Gloucester, Proviucetown, Boston
and other ports, but, perhaps, most largely
from Gloucester. The fishing grounds ex-
tend from Rhode Island On the south to
the shores of Newfoundland on the north.
The favorite grounds of the Gloucester fish
ermen are the Georges banks, about $50
e lies east of that port. The fish are usually
caught in about thirty fathOms of water,
but sometimes haHbut are taken at a depth
of 800 fathoms. The bait used is largely
small herring, and the fish caught in the
various seasons are cod, haddOck, mackerel,
pollock, hake, halibut, etc The time re-
quired for trip is ordinarily from four
days TO a week
When the fishing grounds are reached
the sails are reefed, and as the vessel giides
along the dOries are let down by pulleyS
into the water, enc after another, at q dis
lance of about one-eighth Of a mile apart.
Each dory has two men, who are provided
with four tubs of travis, anchors of about
twenty pounds weight, 1ucys etc. Each tub
OF travis has about 500 hooks. making the
entire number to each dory about 1900.
While the bowman rows slowly along the
sternman puts out the avis, fastening the
ends TO an anchor which IS cast out. . Lne to
it being retained on the dorv tied 70 a buoy.
After the lines have been set sometimes the
skipper signals from the schooner for them
to be taken up The anchor is raised and
the lines are dra an in over a roller, and Us
this is done the fish are taken off the hooks
ono fish to fifty hooks being considered
fair ca.ch. The dory is then rowed to tho
schooner, or the latter comes back over the
line and takes them up. This process is re-
peated several times each day, and some
times the travis are set over night. the YES
ILL TO